Guy Forsyth Back To The Roots

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Guy Forsyth is one of my all time favorite Austin musicians. I have written about him on this blog before, and Friday night I saw him at another pre SXSW late night show at the Saxon Pub. I can’t count all the different settings I have seen and heard him in, everything from solo, with a tuba, with the Asylum Street Spankers to a pop band setting some 10 years go. This time he was reunited with his old compadre George Rarey, and he played one of the best sets I have ever heard from him.

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Rosie Flores at the Continental Club

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Few of us have got the honor of getting our own day. Rosie Flores is one of those few, and August 31st is official Rosie Flores Day in Austin, Texas. From yesterday and all of next week the town is filled up with SXSW attendees, and it is a great tradition to start it all at the Continental Club the night we get in, and last night Rosie Flores was the main attraction there.

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By:Larm 2014 – The Last Day

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Saturday was the closing day of this year’s by:Larm. The festival, including the conference has been a success with lots of people visiting the venues and high quality booking and also seminars. The official numbers and evaluation isn’t done yet, but having attended all 17 by:Larms since it started in 1998, I feel safe to say that this must be one of the best. (Picture above: Deathcrush)

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By:Larm 2014 – The Second Day

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

Friday night at by:Larm was different from Thursday in that there were less bands with a direct appeal to my taste, but on the other hand, I got to see bands I would have avoided in another setting. Two of the artists impressed me, but in diametrically opposite ways – Linkoban from Denmark and Kaja Gunnufsen from Norway. (Picture above: Linkoban)

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By:Larm 2014 – The First Day

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Per Ole Hagen

By:Larm – the Norwegian showcase festival – is a yearly event in Oslo, located in the center, around Youngstorget. The town square is filled with tents that function as venues for the festival. Yesterday night was the first night of showcases on these and the surrounding venues. Here are some pictures of the acts I managed to see last night. (Picture above: Veronica Maggio and a photographer)

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My Own Favorite Concert Photos From 2013

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Per Ole Hagen

I have summarized my 30 best concerts from 2013 in two articles. But sometimes I don’t get the best photos from these concerts, and other times I get good pictures from concerts that are not particularly good. Here are my personal favorites from 2013, in no particular order, and without reviewing if the concerts from where they are taken were good or not. (Picture above: Carolyn Wonderland at the Blues In Hell festival)

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My Best Concerts in 2013, Part 1

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Per Ole Hagen

2013 has been a good year for live music. At least it has been great for me. I have been to fourteen festivals, I have seen somewhere between 150 and 200 concerts this year, and I have enjoyed most of them. For some of them I have seen only part of it, but many I have seen the whole concert. Here are 15 of my best 30 concert experiences this year. (Picture above: the audience at Kvelertak’s concert at the Slottsfjell festival)

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Satyricon – from Russia to Raade

Posted on October 12, 2013 by Per Ole Hagen

I recently saw Satyricon at the Norwegian Opera, playing with the Norwegian Opera Choir. The concert was sold out and got great reviews. Since then Satyricon have started a European tour that lasts until Christmas. Yesterday night they played a local festival in Raade, south of Oslo, and two days before they played in Sibir in Russia.

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Happy Birthday, Sting

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Per Ole Hagen

Sting has had a more than 30 year long career, first with the Police, then a a solo artist. His music has changed over the year, but he is still releasing good CDs, 35 years after the first one with The Police. On October 2nd he is 62 years old.

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The Last Blues Night In Hell

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Per Ole Hagen

Blues in Hell 2013 is over and I am already looking forward to next year’s festival. The music, the people, and also the weather have been excellent this year, making the festival one to remember. The organizational side of the event is also very professional and smooth, making it a pleasure to be there. (Picture above: Ronni Le Tekrø)